Poverty & Inequalities Profile - Falkirk 2010 - Falkirk Council

Homelessness (continued)
Poverty & Inequalities Profile
Falkirk 2009
Homelessness is an issue which predominantly affects young people under the age of 25. Nationally, 37% of
applicants are under the age of 25 whereas the comparative figure for Falkirk is 39%.
Table 21: Applicants Applying for Assistance in Obtaining Accommodation 2007/2008
Applicant %
Single Male 32.6%
Single Female 19.8%
Single Parent Male 8.9%
Single Parent Female 17.7%
Couple no children 8.1%
Couple with children 6.3%
Other without children 3.5%
Other with children 3.2%
This table breaks down the applicants applying for accommodation during the period 2008/2009. Over 50% were
single persons, with 32.6% being a single male and 19.8% single female. There were 26.6% of applicants within the
single parent group of which 17.7% were a single parent female.
Table 22: Main Reason for Applying for Assistance in Obtaining Accommodation 2008/2009
Reason %
Termination of tenancy/mortgage due to arrears or default on payments 9.8%
Other action by landlord resulting in the termination of tenancy 5.0%
Applicant terminated secure accommodation 2.0%
Loss of services/tied accommodation 0.4%
Discharge from prison/hospital/care/other 2.8%
Emergency (fire, flood, storm, closing order etc) 0.5%
Forced division and sale of matrimonial home 1.2%
Other reason for loss of accommodation 1.7%
Dispute within household: violent or abusive 22.2%
Dispute within household/relationship breakdown: non violent 16.4%
Fleeing non-domestic violence 2.6%
Harassment 1.7%
Overcrowding 2.5%
Asked to leave 23.7%
Other reason for leaving accommodation/household 7.5%
In 2008/2009 the main reason for applying for assistance, given by nearly a quarter of all applicants (629 out of 2,651
applicants), was that they were asked to leave their accommodation. Other specific reasons include: a violent or
abusive disputes within the households given by 588 (22.2%) of the applicants; non violent dispute/relationship
breakdown within the household 436 applicants (16.4%). 9.8% of applicants were due to the termination of tenancy/
mortgage due to rent arrears or default on payment.
In comparison to the Scottish averages, Falkirk had twice the rate of applicants who were applying because of a
violent or abusive dispute, the Scottish rate for 2008/08 was 10.8%, and the Scottish rate for termination of tenancy
and mortgage due to arrears or default was 5.5%.